26 May, 2011Hydrogen in Electricity Storage and Transport Sytems part of new EU Commission Communication

On 17 November 2010, the European Commission adopted the Communication “Energy infrastructure priorities for 2020 and beyond – A Blueprint for an integrated European energy network.”

The communication defines EU priority corridors for the transport of electricity, gas and oil. A toolbox is also proposed in order to enable a timely implementation of these priority infrastructures. Hydrogen’s role in the future European Energy Infrastructure is more apparent as expressed in the excerpts seen below:

“Electricity grids must be upgraded and modernised to meet increasing demand due to a major shift in the overall energy value chain and mix but also because of the multiplication of applications and technologies relying on electricity as an energy source (heat pumps, electric vehicles, hydrogen and fuel cells information and communication devices etc.).” page 6: section 2.1 Electricity grids and storage

“need to integrate ongoing research and development work, notably under the SET plan European Electricity Grid Initiative (EEGI) and European Industrial Wind Initiative, to adapt existing and to develop new transmission, storage and smart grid technologies. In this context, it will also need to integrate the potential for large-scale hydrogen transport and storage. When coupled with fuel cells, it is particularly suited for distributed and transport applications. Commercialisation for residential applications could be expected as of 2015 and for hydrogen vehicles around 2020.” page 71: section 4.1. European electricity highways